Light reflector



L. NIELSEN LIGHT REFLECTOR Oct. 3, 1933.

Filed Sept. 20, 1932 v wnl lfllrlllll llw INVENTQR LEONARD NIELS 51v BYMZ) ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 3, 1933 UNITED STATES LIGHT REFLECTOR Leonard Nielsen, Westerleigh, N. Y.

Application September 20, 1932 Serial 1v. 634,007

SClaims.

This invention relates to highway signs and more speciflcally to light reflectors used in such signs.

The object of this invention is to improve the light reflecting effect and to increase the reflecting angle of such reflectors as well as to improve their general construction.

According to the objects of the invention a lens is formed witha cylindrical body portion, one

end of which terminates in a plane surface obliquely disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body portion and the other end in the shape of a parabolic curve. A cup-shaped metallic reflector is fltted over the cylindrical body of the lens adjacent its plane end and the whole is mounted in a casing which extends over the cylindrical body portion of the lens, the casing forming with the lens a concentric space provided to be fllledwith an adhesive putty of a desired shade whereby any light projected onto the lens is reflected therefrom in the same color as that of the adhesive putty. The casing is provided at its front end with a flange portion provided for holding a metallic plate against a mounting board which may be wood or any other suitable material. The metallic plate which may represent a certain geometrical flgure, digit, or letter is painted in the same color as the adhesive putty used in the reflector assembly, each of which may be of any desired color.

Other features of the invention and advantages will appear from the following description and by the claims appended thereto, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a reflector unit showing the mounting board and a number of parts with portions cut away;

Fig. 2 is a front view thereof; Fig. 3 is an exploded view; 4 Fig. 4 is a front view of an advertising sign constructed according to the objects of this invention;

Figs. 5 and 6 are modifications of the lens shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawing the reflector unit consists of a lens which is formed with a cylindrical body portion 10, the-front end 11 of which terminates in a parabolic shape and the other end in a plane surface 12 disposed obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylin- Zdrical body portion. On this end is mounted a reflector 13 having a highly polished concave surface 14 and a rim portion 15 for enga in the cylindrical body portion of the lens as shown in Fig. 1. The peripheral diameter of rim 15 is made to flt snugly into the bottom of a casing 16', the parallel wall of which cooperates with the cylindrical body portion of the lens to form an annular concentric space adapted to be filled with an adhesive putty'l'l provided for securing the lens in the casing, the putting being preferably of the color to'be reflected.

In a plate 18 which is shaped to represent a given figure are drilled a number of holes 21 for receiving a. plurality of reflector units shown in Fig. 4 and the whole is mounted on a supporting board 19. The board 1 9 is drilled with a number of holes corresponding to the number of holes 21 of the plate 18, and this plate is held in place against the face of the board 12 as shown in Fig. 1 by the clamping action of a rim 20 carried by the casing 16 and the cylindrical portion 16 of this casing tightly fitting the holes 21' in the I board 19.

7 In the modified lens shown in Fig. 5 the front end is semi-spherical and is used when the sign embodying this lens for the reflecting element is placed in position where the light does not need to be reflected a great angular distance from a perpendicular line with respect to the plane of the board 19. In the lens shown in Fig. 6 the front end is formed with a parabolic concave shape, the body of the lens being of a diameter to fit the reflector 13. Applicant discovered that the angle at which a light was eiiectively reflected was much greater by the use of the lens shown in Fig. lthan an ordinary spheric lens, while the obliquely disposed plane 12 at the rear end of the lens considerably increased the reflecting eflect of the lens when the light was projected thereon at different angles and correspondingly increased the effectiveness and usefulness of signs constructed according to this invention.- In this sign due to the increase of the effective reflecting angle due to the oblique plane at the rear of the lens a single sign placed at an angle of 45 at the ends of two roads intersecting each other at right angles avoids the use of two signs placed at 90 with respect to the directions of these roads and thus considerably reduces the number of signs needed and therefore considerable expenses. Applicant further discovered that in cases where the light needs to be reflected directly towards its source, 1. e., when the sign is used in the front or rear of automobiles, the light reflecting effectiveness of the lens was greatly increased by forming the front end of the lens with a concave parabolic or spheric curve as shown in Fig. 6.

Other minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a light reflector, a lens, said lens having a cylindrical body portion, one end of said portion having a plane surface disposed obliquely to the central axis of said portion and the other end terminating in the shape of a parabola, and a reflector adjacent the plane surface of said body portion.

2. In a light reflector, a mounting board having a bore, a metal plate having an aperture, a casing in said bore, said casing having a flange and a cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion engaging said aperture and fitting tightly in said bore, said plate being held between said board and the flange portion of said casing by the the clamping action of said casing in said board and a lens secured by an adhesive putty in said casing.

3. In a light reflector, a plane-convex lens, said lens having a cylindrical body portion, the plane surface being disposed obliquely to the axis of said body portion and the convex end being of a parabolic shape, a reflector adjacent the plane surface and having a rim portion engaging said cylindrical portion, a cylindrical casing for said reflector extending over the cylindrical portion of said lens and cooperating therewith to form a concentric space, and an adhesive putty of a predetermined color filling said space for refiecting the light with a shade corresponding to that of said putty.

LEONARD NIELSEN. 

